Mirror tests out Olympic canoe course which are open to all

[divingbrit]

And as I plunged headlong into the foaming surf, I wondered if I was going to come out the other side in one piece. This is the exhilarating 300-metre white water course where the world’s best canoeists will pit their incredible skills and versatility against each other at London 2012.

And it is the only Olympic venue the public can use before the Games get under way in the summer.

So yesterday, the Mirror did a test ride at the £31million Lee Valley Centre in Hertfordshire. And what a thrill it was, too. I took to a two-man kayak with GB slalom expert Matt Cooke, 31, who has been training with the medal hopefuls since they were 10 years old.

His instructions were simple and invaluable for any new canoe man: “Keep relaxed and let me do the work.” The first wave takes you down in the drop which centre staff have nicknamed Jaws.

“That’s because if it gobbles you up, you don’t come back out,” a rescue team member, waiting at the side like a vulture told me helpfully. They dug up enough earth to fill the Albert Hall to create the 5.5metre plunge.

There’s two giant waves, dubbed Big Ben and Ben Nevis by the GB team, that bounce you around the rapids in a thrilling encounter.

Sheer drops of rushing water which will test the best in the world make you feel like you are in the middle of an ocean swell.

It hits the front of boat and sends you up in the air before you crash back down into the rapids. As I hit the sides before the big drop I hear: “Do you want to get out here?” from Matt on the starboard side.

“No,” I muttered. “We’ll keep on going.” But the feeling of sheer relief and achievement at the end is hard to beat.

If you can get to the bottom without capsizing, you deserve a medal. But if kayaking is not for you, then there’s always white water rafting for an unforgettable pleasure ride along the same course.

In just six months time, 60,000 spectators will cram into the centre to watch five days of thrills, spills and, hopefully, some gold medals for Britain’s kayakers.

And, after a strong performance in Beijing 2008, hopes are high. Speaking of the performers he has been training, Matt, who is from the Wirral but now lives in Wales, said: “They have been working for 20 years for this moment. All that work goes into one race, with hundredths of a second counting for the medals.

“You cannot imagine the pressure of it after all that time, especially in front of the home crowd.”

The centre’s chief *executive Shaun Dawson said of the course: “You are so close to the action. It is a real test of strength, skill and speed. We are the first venue to give the public a real Olympic experience.”

After the Games, the course will once again be open to the public. White water rides start at £49.

As for me, well I think the Olympic team’s places are safe. But it was an experience never to forget.

For more information visit gowhitewater.co.uk

Mirror.co.uk